Kentucky Girl Scouts Take The Boy Scouts Of America To Task Over Ousting Of Gay Troop Leader

The Girl Scouts of America are as mad as hell (well as mad as hell as a Girl Scout can get) and is not taking the ousting of a Louisville, Ky., Boy Scout leader who said he was forced to resign because he is gay.

Greg Bourke, who had volunteered with the BSA for five years, was forced to step down and resign after the pastor at the church where his troop meets said the facility might lose its Scouting charter if he stayed on after revealing he was gay and had raised two children with his partner of thirty years.

Well the GSA of Kentucky was shocked and saddened when they heard the news and had to stand up and say something.

In a letter openly condemning the BSA for their discrimination against Bourke, GSA co-leader Kim Haydon reached out to the executive of the Boy Scouts’ Lincoln Heritage Council and wrote in part

“[To] discount all that he has done for our youth only because he is gay is absurd. Shame on you and your small mindedness.”

Barry G. Oxley II of the Boy Scouts’ Lincoln Heritage Council, declined to comment other than to say it is “a national BSA policy.”

Bourke is fighting back with a Change.org petition that urges the Lincoln Heritage Council to reject the Boy Scouts of America’s anti-gay policy. In an effort to plea his case, the father of two writes:

“For the past five years, I’ve dedicated my time and energy to the Boy Scouts of America and to my community — and I’ve loved every minute of it. In return, the Boy Scouts of America has decided to fire me for being honest about who I am and for loving my partner of 30 years. I launched my petition with the hope of turning this hurtful situation into something positive… If enough of us speak out, I know the Lincoln Heritage Council will join the growing list of councils that have decided to reject the Boy Scouts’ discriminatory policy.”

Change.org says the petition is just one of many that are taking issue with local Boy Scout councils and the National organization.

Brava to the Kentucky Girl Scouts of America for once again standing up against homophobia, bigotry, and hate and for doing whats decent and right.

Will Kohler is a noted LGBT historian, writer, blogger and owner of Back2Stonewall.com. A longtime gay activist, Will fought on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic with ACT-UP and continues fighting today for LGBT acceptance and full equality. Will’s work has been referenced in notable media venues as MSNBC and BBC News, The Washington Post, The Advocate, The Daily Beast, Hollywood Reporter, Raw Story, and The Huffington Post